PTA: Imperivm Confidential Pilot Episode

[johnzo]

... the communal shared experience

Whoah, cowboy.  If its one of those you're after, you better damn well pay for my pizza and then volunteer to drive me home.

[rafial]

No, I pretty much understand it.  Thanks for the offer.

Sorry, that was a blitheringly stupid way to phrase my last question.

So what I was hoping for was to arrive at a shared understanding of what constitutes N play, so we could then talk about how the PTA rules support or interfere with that.  Are you interested in discussing this?  If so, lets start from the baseline that my understanding of what N-play is all messed up, and you explain to me what characterizes N-play

What, to you, is the "immediacy of the game?"

The evolving events of the communal shared experience.  

Uh wow, I'm not sure I understand that.  Can you provide more details?

[Jeffrey Miller]

No, I pretty much understand it.  Thanks for the offer.

Sorry, that was a blitheringly stupid way to phrase my last question.

no worries

So what I was hoping for was to arrive at a shared understanding of what constitutes N play, so we could then talk about how the PTA rules support or interfere with that.  Are you interested in discussing this?

Well, not per se, because I don't think that PTA rules interfere at all with N play (as I udnerstand it through countless hours of conversation, reading, playing, chatter with Forge folks, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc).  The speediness of your responses to my earlier posts makes me concerned that the conversation will drift such that I'll be defending a premise I don't believe in :)  Again, let's talk on Thursday. :)

What, to you, is the "immediacy of the game?"

The evolving events of the communal shared experience.  

Uh wow, I'm not sure I understand that.  Can you provide more details?

[/quote]

The story of the game, the rolling of dice, the flipping of rule books, the laughter, the tears, the pizza, the John-Harper-saying-I'm-kicking-you-guys-out-now, the development of characters, the rules banter.  

Actually, I think the dissection of the semiotics of my statement aren't important - the nurse shouldn't wake you up to give you a sleeping pill, and rules that are supposed to support a style/mechanic/aspect of play shouldn't get in the way of that actually happening - which seems obvious, and NO, I'm not making a statement about PTA, so stop right there!  :)  I'm speaking of moment-to-moment decisions, not drift, not "oh, poor me, I've got a GNS conflict" :)

-j-

[Alan]

What, to you, is the "immediacy of the game?"

The evolving events of the communal shared experience.  

-

That's pretty close to the definition of simulationsim: prioritizing exploration over other concerns.

Jeff, we play together, so I don't mean to be rude, but I think you would gain more insight into non-sim play by stepping outside your character.   Not that you don't understand academically, but there's something to the actual experience.  I didn't really understand narrativism until I committed to playing Trollbabe the way it was intended (and likewise gamism and T&T).

All that said, I would not be surprised if, after trying a different approach, you still prefer simulationist play.  That's what preferences are about.

[rafial]

The speediness of your responses to my earlier posts makes me concerned that the conversation will drift such that I'll be defending a premise I don't believe in :)

You're pretty speedy yourself, Tex ;)

The story of the game, the rolling of dice, the flipping of rule books, the laughter, the tears, the pizza, the John-Harper-saying-I'm-kicking-you-guys-out-now, the development of characters, the rules banter.

Ah perfect.  Thanks.

the nurse shouldn't wake you up to give you a sleeping pill, and rules that are supposed to support a style/mechanic/aspect of play shouldn't get in the way of that actually happening - which seems obvious

Certainly does seem obvious.  My curiousity stems from /not/ having exprienced that scenario.  Well I was definitely woken up, but it wasn't sleeping pills that were being handed out :)  So I was wondering about the specifics of *your* experience, but as you say its not a problem you have had with PTA, you are correct in thinking it would be a drift for this thread.